Ever have one of those days, where you look in the mirror and see a dull, and lifeless face looking back at you? Your skin seems like it has no glow, and those damned zits have healed, but they leave red or brown-ish marks that take months to fade? I don’t think we need makeup to give our skin a natural glow. By exfoliating regularly, we can shed those dulling dead skin cells from our face, revealing the fresher healthy skin beneath. Exfoliating helps to even your skin tone, give oil and dirt the boot, as well as prevent acne!

Before you whine about how your skin is too sensitive for facial scrubs, I will tell you there are types of exfoliation more appropriate for dry, sensitive type.

There are two major types of exfoliation methods. Mechanical, and chemical. I am going to discuss mechanical exfoliation in this blog entry, and will continue with chemical exfoliation in the following entry.

Most of us consider mechanical exfoliation to be the primary way we exfoliate. This would be through the use of facial scrubs, cloths, or any other tool you use to physically wash your skin for the purpose of exfoliating. Many facial or body scrubs contain ground walnut shell, oatmeal, sugar, or some sort of microbead that works to physically remove the dead skin cells, oil, and dirt, when you wash your skin with them.

The most harsh of these include loofahs (for the love of god, never on the face), walnut shell scrubs, and sugar scrubs. They can be effective, but someone who does not have excessively oily skin ought not use any of these methods more than once a week (if at all, arguably). If you have breakouts, these methods run the risk of irritating already pissed off pores, and will result in excessive redness and make your breakouts worse!

I used to use St Ives’ Apricot Scrub (the one with 2% salicylic acid), and while this did work relatively well for some time, I think it actually increased my skin’s sensitivity, and irritation, gradually over the years.

If you absolutely *have* to exfoliate using a mechanical method, I would suggest using a product that contains those microbeads (usually advertised on the product), as opposed to crushed fruit pits, shells, or even sugar. Oatmeal is also a gentler method. Check out the scrub section on Vitacost, as they list all ingredients. I did notice that Devita offers a Gentle Aloe Facial Scrub with jojoba easters (beads!), and this would be a good choice for anyone looking to mechanically exfoliate.

Check back for what I have to say about chemical exfoliation (my favourite method)!

I’m going to dedicate this review to my favourite Sibu Beauty product. I was initially going to write about the following 2-3 samples that I had received, but I wanted to write about the products that I am most passionate about instead.

For more information on Sibu Beauty, please check out previous entries, or visit their website!

The item I want to talk about is the Sibu Beauty Face and Body Bar. They call it a facial soap on their website, but the packaging says it is for face and body. I used it on my face and body, and boy do I love it! It’s got such a light scent (kind of citrus-sea buckthorn mix), and lathers quite nicely.

This bar is great for removing makeup, exfoliating (must be the oatmeal they put in the bar!), and keeping my skin clear and clean. I love the feeling it leaves once I rinse my face, and it is a great way to exfoliate and cleanse your body as well! My skin has looked great (very minimal number of blemishes) since I started using Sibu’s products, and this face and body bar is by far one of my favourites.

I can’t tell you what exactly the reason for the sorbitol, a sweetener, but now I am tempted to take a bite out of it. In case you’re curious, sorbitan oleate is used as an emulsifier in lotions and other products. Why titanium dioxide? I am not sure about that either, but here is an article for your reading pleasure about titanium dioxide. Aside from that bit of ingredient confusion, the others are pretty self-explanatory.

Another great thing about this product is the price! On Vitacost, the product is just about $6 a piece, and you can order a three-pack for $16.95 on Sibu Beauty’s website.

Overall, I really enjoy this product. It is a cheaply-priced cleanser that works very well for my face and body. I can use one side for exfoliating, and the other side is softer so can be used for daily cleansing. I definitely recommend this for someone who wants a multitasking cleanser that works on their body and face for cleansing and exfoliating. This also does not dry out my skin one bit – and it has my holy grail ingredient coconut oil in it!

Here is my top ten list of things that have worked for me to help improve the quality and clarity in my skin! Friends are always asking me how to improve their skin; while I love helping each one of them individually, I thought a top ten list could help all of my friends and readers at the same time. My philosophy on beauty has always been that you need to work on the inside, and this will reflect on the outside. Who wants to pile on the makeup, when our skin underneath is in such poor shape? These are just tips from my own experience (no expert here!), and are in no particular order.

1. Wash your face every night before sleep

This removes makeup, bacteria, and excess oil that builds up throughout your day.

2. Learn your skin type

You’ll save money buying products that don’t work for you, and learn what products do work for you, which helps prevent breakouts and flare ups. Often, skin analysis services are available free of charge at spas, and from other skin care experts.

3. Touch your face ONLY when you have clean hands!

If your hands are carrying bacteria, you will transfer it to your face.

4. When you dry your face, gently pat it dry (do not rub) with a CLEAN towel or cloth.

Change your towels and cloths weekly to make sure they aren’t harboring any unwanted bacteria.

5.Take a multivitamin, and an omega fatty acid oil supplement like krill, salmon, or sardine oil every day.

They don’t have to cost that much, and the pay off of adding these supplements to your diet is worth it! Even if you eat a well-rounded diet, a multivitamin can help make sure you get all the nutrients you need. Omega-fatty acids are shown to be great for healthy nails, hair, and skin. In the winter time I double up on the omegas, since my skin can be extremely dry and dehydrated. I tend to keep my eyes open for sales at GNC and natural health food stores. Avoid vitamins and supplements at the drug store; their absorption rate is pretty pitiful.

6. Include one exfoliation treatment and a mask into your weekly routine.

Get rid of those dead skin cells by exfoliating, and treat yourself to a deep cleansing clay mask. Another great type of mask is a papaya enzyme mask, which helps to brighten your complexion, and helps to dissolve dead skin cells. It also smells pretty damned amazing! The masks I use regularly are the Alba Deep Sea Facial Mask, and the Alba Papaya Enzyme Mask. It is extremely easy to make your own face masks – try organic honey, avocado, and blueberries!

7. Do not use body lotions or creams on your face.

Using lotions or creams that are designed for use on your body, and not specifically designed for the face can cause unnecessary breakouts, because of the higher oil content; the skin on the face is also a lot more sensitive than the rest of our body’s, and can tend to be of a different type. For example, my face is on the dehydrated side in the winter, and in the summer it is more balanced, so I don’t need to use as much essential oils when moisturizing. The skin on the rest of my body requires a very basic moisturizing routine that remains the same throughout the entire year, and breakouts on my body are even more rare than on my face. When choosing a moisturizer for your face, make sure it specifies it is a facial moisturizer.

8. Avoid products with certain alcohols that will excessively dry the skin (resulting in you trying to use even more of the product, and your skin drying up even more).

Not all alcohols are horrible for the skin. Alcohols that do nothing but dry out the skin and exacerbate skin problems include: SD Alcohol(also known as Alcohol Denat., or Denatured Alcohol), Isopropyl Alcohol, or Ethyl Alcohol. Alcohols that are fatty alcohols and are not harmful include Stearyl Alcohol, and Cetyl Alcohols. The majority of popular brands of toners (especially) in drug stores — brands like L’Oreal, Garnier, Neutrogena, Clean & Clear — often contain the harmful types of alcohols to provide the consumer with a “tingling” sensation. This often makes us feel like the product is working, but if you’ve got any problems with dryness, inflammation, redness, or acne, this will most likely make it worse(as it did with me). Some of my friends are able to put pretty much any skin care product on their face, but if they were to switch to a more organic and holistic skin care routine, their skin would probably even more phenomenal.

The bottom line is – these products that contain SD Alcohol and other harmful alcohols strip the skin of its natural oils, and this results in eventual over-production of oils in oilier skin, or under-production in extremely dry skin. The goal of holistic skin care products is to nurture the skin’s natural balance, and to avoid extremely changes in the skin’s natural state. My skin’s dryness has reduced drastically since I began using alcohol-free toners, and toners that contain essential oils. At this point all I use as a “toner” is rose water and lavender water. They help refresh my skin, and they smell amazing too.

9. Steam your face at least once every 2 weeks, with a towel over your head, hot water and essential oils (depending on your skin type) in a large bowl.

Not only does steaming your face help sweat out dirt and excess oil, it can also be extremely relaxing for the mind. Certain essential oils (like lavender and patchouli, for example) are proven to calm the skin and help with breakouts, but at the same time they are shown to be effective in reducing stress and calming the mind. It takes about ten minutes, and after steaming your pores are open – this is the perfect time for a face mask. If you are dealing with acne problems, steaming with tea tree oil (which has antibacterial properties) is very effective. Oils can be purchased for reasonable prices at health food stores, and since you only use 2-3 drops at most when steaming, they last for quite a long time!

10. For those who wear makeup, make sure you give your makeup brushes a clean (with either unscented soap, or makeup brush shampoo) once every two weeks.

If you don’t clean your brushes, bacteria will build up, and cause breakouts. Especially if you apply makeup to multiple people with the same brushes, you want to try and make sure you aren’t transferring bacteria from one person’s face to another! I use Sephora’s Purifying Brush Shampoo, which is available in a travel size. You only need to use a small amount, and it makes a big difference in how long your brushes last, and the minimizing of breakouts.

There you have it! Everything I recommend to ensure your skin looks and feels its best. The only additional tip I can suggest is to eat a healthy and balanced diet.